


Bubbles

by indigo_inkpot



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Bubblegum, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Originally Posted on Tumblr
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-04-14 01:43:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14125374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indigo_inkpot/pseuds/indigo_inkpot
Summary: Matt sets Shiro on the path to certified candy addict, and enables his bubblegum obsession even while they're in space. Pidge is less than pleased about it.





	Bubbles

**Author's Note:**

> From a discussion with my friend liz on twitter:  
> What if Shiro loves bubblegum?
> 
> I just love the idea of him finding something similar on a planet and the next time they’re doing paperwork or something Pidge is slowly driven nuts by the GODDAMN POPPING WHERE IS IT COMING FROM. (Spoiler: it’s Shiro, Altean manuals are boring and he needed something to stop him grinding his teeth)
> 
> This fandom inspires me so much. I might go back and edit this, because Pidge’s reaction feels kinda abrupt, but for now I’m tired and I just wanted to get it written down so I can sleep ;~;

 

_Galaxy Garrison, 3 years earlier_

“Shiro, can you  _please_  unclench before you grind your way through your skull?” Matt sighed, shooting another paper plane across the dorm room, “I’ve only looked at you for - what, a minute? - and I can  _feel_  a sympathy migraine coming on!”

Shiro huffed through his nose, shifting his jaw side-to-side and working the stiff muscles. It made his ears feel odd, the strange motion, but it was the only way he knew to release the tightness that was spreading up his face and down his neck. He jerked back in surprise when a tiny brick, wrapped in yellow paper, bounced off his forehead.

“Gum? Really, Matt?” 

Matt shrugged, “Dude at this point I would take you chewing as obnoxiously as possible over watching you grind your teeth to the root. Just try the gum; it’s sugar-free, if that makes you feel any better?”

“Fine, I’ll try it. But if I don’t like it, you owe me three hours of study-”

“Done!”

“…in silence, Matt.”

Either way, Shiro wasn’t getting that peace and quiet.

* * *

Of all of the things that changed after the Kerberos mission, the last thing Shiro expected to miss was bubblegum. There was a lot to miss, sure, he missed his home, his favourite places, even some of the people. But when his jaw remained rigid for three days straight, or he had to give up on research because the pounding in his skull bounced between his temples and neck like a gremlin on speed, he really just wanted something to work out the tension. 

Trying to explain the nature of bubblegum to Coran had been confusing, embarrassing and downright disturbing; he’d left with something with a texture akin to toffee, but smelled like cheap disinfectant. No bubbles, and he damn near cracked a tooth on it.

Cue Matt: Shiro’s saving grace for the second time. Where he had managed to find candy in the middle of space, while also juggling his rebel duties, was just another miracle to add to the growing list of Holt family achievements. 

Over the first few months after Matt returned, he began dropping off little boxes inside Shiro’s room. (How he got in there goes on a separate Holt family list, but Shiro wasn’t exactly complaining.) Slowly, the Black Paladin began to amass a confectionery stash to rival Pidge’s hoard of gadgets in both size and variety. Many went unopened, either because they didn’t look particularly appetising or because Shiro just hadn’t felt brave enough to try them at the time, but of the ones he’d tried; the best by far was a strange pink gum. Apparently it had been suggested by Nyma, and the berries on the box looked similar to the ones Hunk cooked with, so he wasn’t too concerned about trying them.

It tasted awesome, like a hybrid between a strawberry and cherry, with a minty aftertaste. And most importantly, it could blow  _massive_  bubbles. 

He’d just received a new box from Matt (who had taken to gifting Shiro the ones he requested in wholesale levels of bulk) and Shiro was rather embarrassed to admit he’d gone more than a little overboard. There had been a few near-misses, when he’d left his room while still absent-mindedly chewing away. He’d rounded a corner and had to quickly swallow it so he could stop Lance rigging the air vent above Keith’s door with a bucket of water balloons. (Where had Lance found  _water balloons_  in- nope, actually, Shiro didn’t even want to ask that question.)

He really hoped this was the kind of gum you could swallow. He’d had enough awkward conversations with Coran to last him a lifetime, thank you very much.

* * *

_Pop!_

_psshhhh…_

Pidge’s head perked up, scrutinising the lab around them. Everyone was working on the latest information dump. Lance was sprawled on his back with his feet braced halfway up the wall, Hunk lying beside him, the right way up. Keith was pacing, cutting a complicated path between all the desks and chairs. Every time he passed too close, Lance would reach up and try to bat Keith’s feet out from underneath him, but would find himself neatly sidestepped every time. (Really, Keith’s sense of spacial awareness was impressive sometimes. Hard to believe that this was the same guy who walked into glass panels if he was caught in conversation.) Aside from the sound of Keith’s boots on the floor and the rubbing of Lance’s socks against the wall, they were practically silent.

_Pop!_

_psshhhh…_

So where was that noise coming from?

Shiro was curled over a desk, facing away from Pidge. He was showing all the signs of having been working too long; his prosthetic stretched out across the table, his other hand tucked into the back of his neck, playing with his scalp where his undercut turned slightly soft and downy. His other key tell had been going steadily all night; the slow working of his jaw. Matt had always told Pidge that Shiro had bruxism bordering on chronic, which they figured was now a textbook definition, given that his worries had evolved from Garrison drama to life-or-death decisions.

_Pop!_

_psshhhh…_

“Alright!” Pidge snapped, slamming down the pad. “What in this room has sprung a leak because I’m about to go crazy with the duct tape!”

…

_Pop!_

_“SHIRO!?”  
_

_…_

_psshhhh…_

“Sorry, Pidge.” Shiro turned, licking pink gum from his lips, but at least he had the decency to look guilty about it.

“Wait, you have  _gum?_  You’d better be planning to share that, Shirogane!”

**Author's Note:**

> Come scream at me on [tumblr](https://indigo-inkpot.tumblr.com/), where I post all my weird crap before it gets polished and makes it's way here.  
> 


End file.
